Funding for Hartig Park as always been an issue. It takes quite a bit of money to maintain and improve a park as large as Hartig; more money, in fact, than the Gallatin County Fiscal Court could possibly afford to provide. And even if supporters of the park wished to donate money to Hartig Park, there was no legal avenue by which they could do so. 

So, working in conjunction with the Gallatin County Fiscal Court and the Gallatin County Cooperative Extension Service, the volunteer group loosely called the "Hartig Park Working Group" began the process of forming a legal entity capable of accepting tax-exempt donations from individuals, businesses, or charitable foundations. 

In September of 2024, the Hartig Park and Wildlife Reserve was officially declared a 501c3 charitable organization. This designation came about through a lot of hard work by Hartig Park volunteers, the Gallatin County Extension ANR agent, and the incredible cooperation of the Gallatin County Fiscal Court. 

The group formerly known as the Hartig Park Working Group is now The Hartig Park Foundation Board of Directors. As before, this new group continues to meet monthly to discuss work that needs doing at the park. But now, the group has the added responsibility of discussing fundraising opportunities as well as other foundation business.

Of course, the act of establishing a 501c3 foundation by itself wasn't going to put money in the park's coffers; efforts had to me made in order to get the word out about this new funding opportunity. All this necessitated the creation of a new park webpage ( www.hartigpark.org ), regular updates on the park's social media page, as well as new park signage containing QR codes designed to take potential sponsors directly to the foundation's donation page. Since the formation of The Hartig Park Foundation, INC, over five hundred dollars have been donated electronically through the website and social media pages, with another two hundred dollars being donated directly to the foundation. The foundation has already applied for a grant totaling nearly $24,000 for park equipment, and will soon be applying for another grant of $35,000 for a wheelchair accessibly kayak launch and dock.

The Hartig Park and Wildlife Reserve has over 2,800 visitors per year. The foundation's hope is that a good portion of these park users will donate a few dollars to help maintain and fund new park projects.  

The foundation's mission statement reads as follows:  "The Hartig Park Foundation is a 501c3 organization that works for the betterment of Hartig Park, Gallatin County, and the region at large. Our mission is to improve Hartig Park and maintain it as it was originally intended; that is to be a safe, beautiful, and cost-free outdoor recreation area where people of all ages and backgrounds can observe nature and learn about the natural world around them."

This mission is why the formation of The Hartig Park Foundation, INC was so important.